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I was putting a presentaion together for a talk I am doing at Dr. Terry Wahls Conference in a few weeks.I came across this document from the National MS Society. There are some good points in this article that can be utilized by other who do not have MS yet are at risk of falling. The fall prevention ideas are the last several pages of the document. Stay healthy and free of falls!

Hi Everybody-
We made this video a few years back. The people in the video are doing great! All of the patients have rehabilitated off BalanceWear after long-term use. I am so proud of what they accomplished!

A difference in how one of our instructors trains other therapists to make a difference.

Today – There is a young woman who was in a car accident two years ago who had been in a coma and was in rehab for a long time. She received a free BalanceWear garment via a grant for ataxia.

This young lady will walk to get her high school diploma in So Cal. I am so proud of her even though I do not know her. Her parents will be so happy!

Last week In Kentucky a therapist worked with a young mother of two with MS who needed a walker. Once she had tried Balance-Based Torso-Weighting and BalanceWear was provided she didn’t need the walker. This will help her so much in taking care of her children and running the home.

Self Satisfaction…..
For me it is when I hear about what my invention and intervention does to help others. It gives me a deeps sence of contentment. Better than Yoga! SMILE;)

Clinical version
This abstract was submitted to the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers for their Annual Meeting, 2014. It was accepted as a podium presentation to be presented in Dallas TX on May 30, 2014.

Balance-Based Torso-Weighting Results in Fall Reduction during Sensory Organization Test for People with Multiple Sclerosis

ABSTRACT
Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) fall frequently. Balance-based torso-weighting (BBTW) can improve gait speed and increase time spent in single-limb support while walking. However, the association between BBTW and falls has not yet been examined in MS.
Objective: Investigate the effects of BBTW on balance and fall frequency recorded by the sensory organization test (SOT) in people with MS.
Method: 51 people with MS with self-identified gait and balance difficulties (Disease Steps 1-4) completed the SOT on the SMART EquiTest® BalanceMaster twice in a single session, once without weights and a second time following placement of weights using the BBTW method. Data were collected as a part of an extensive testing protocol, generally lasting 3 to 5 hours, in which participants completed additional impairment and mobility testing with and without weights. A mandatory rest break followed BBTW assessment and weighting with additional breaks given as needed. Participant fatigue in two cases resulted in abbreviated testing. The SOT composite score (CS) recorded participants’ quiet standing for 3 trials in each of 6 conditions: eyes open (EO), eyes closed (EC), surround moving (EO), platform moving (EO), platform moving (EC) and platform and surround moving together (EO). The number of falls occurring in all trials of both no weight (NW) and weighted (WT) conditions were tallied. A fall was defined as touching the surround, taking a step, or being caught by an overhead harness. Paired t-tests compared participants’ CS and fall occurrence between conditions with alpha set at 0.05.
Results: A statistically significant change (P=0.0001) occurred in mean (SD) CS from NW to WT trials, 50.9 (15.07) to 60.1 (14.88), respectively. A change of 8 points in the CS is considered a significant difference. Twenty-eight (55%) participants increased their CS by at least 8 points (range 8 to 38), 16 (31.4%) increased by 1 to 7 points, 1 had no change (2%) and 6 (11.8%) decreased their score (range -2 to -6). Fall occurrence differed between weighting conditions (P=0.02). There were 212 (60.7%) falls in the NW and 137 (39.3%) in the WT conditions. No correlation (r=0.014) was found between number of SOT falls and participant age.
Conclusion: A significant decline in fall number and an increase in CS occurred with BBTW during single testing session despite potential for fatigue. BBTW is a promising intervention that may lead to decreased falls when worn by people with MS.

In general this is a good artice. It doesn’t get what I do and refered to our article as general weighting. However, the article addresses studies with different neurological diagnoses and the research that was done. Our research in BBTW was only one of three randomized controlled studies..Yea!http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877065714000037

Here is an example of a MS Center staying up with current technology for their patients.
BalanceWear in the News in Lexington, Kentucky. Dana is a great therapist and will be training for Motion Therapeutics next year.

Baptist Health has a new MS Clinic and Balance-Based Torso-Weighting is a new treatment offered. See the inteview.

Falls and fall related injuries can have a devastating effects on the elderly. The frequency of falls increase with the aging population. The history of a fall is a predictor of future falls.

This video is about Donna, an 84 years old woman with a history of multiple falls. She has had two total knees, a total hip, previous fracture of her shoulder and opposite wrist from a fall as well as other surgeries. Donna had a fall two weeks prior to her physical therapy assessment for BalanceWear. She related she is unable to get up off the floor once she falls.

In the current video we show a timed up and go before and after Balance-Based Torso-Weighting, BBTW. This video demonstrates the change in ability and also in her confidence during the same session. Instead of the frail elderly person she was when we she walked into the clinic we see a new person emerge. Because of the dramatic effects of the testing with BBTW we ordered Donna a BalanceWear Device. She is strategically weighted with 1-3/4 pounds to control several loses of balance. The video gives us a peek into her former life and what an interesting person she is.The video is over two sessions; assessment day and the day she receives the BalanceWear device at her home. No other therapy was provided.

Donna will still need therapy to address strength, balance, range of motion, and pain. However Donna is much safer with BalanceWear, which is a consideration since she lives alone.

I feel this is a great tool for clinicians and physicians to use with their patients in prescribing rehabilitation. There are several tests and measures that can help identify loss of leg strength, ambulation score (timed walk) and function (TUG). In addition they have cut off scores for fall risk.

Exercise class

Exercise class

Causes of Balance and Mobility Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is a progressive autoimmune disease typically diagnosed in young adults, affecting the central nervous system causing damage to the myelin surrounding the nerves and lesions in the brain. Although the disease progresses differently in each person often gait and mobility problems are encountered. Individuals experience many different symptoms such as loss of sensation, visual or vestibular function, spasticity, weakness, central processing and motor output dysfunction. Any or all of the symptoms may contribute to a loss of balance leading to difficulty in walking.
If you experience balance problems you should see a physical therapist who is knowledgeable in treating patients with multiple sclerosis. Many people in my MS exercise class partially funded by the MSFoundation find they are able to do so much more than they thought they were capable of. When people get the diagnosis that they have a neurodegenerative disease and experience a relapse many do not rehabilitate back to where they started. With proper guidance many of them are experiencing recovery of function that they thought was unattainable.